Blog Posts by Brenda, Shine Community Manager

One of the fabulous perks of my job is coming across a great user post written by a member of our own Shine community. These tip-sharing, soul-baring, smartly-written posts demonstrate that you don't necessarily have to be a professional blogger to write something noteworthy. A great post just needs to be informative, well-written, and spoken from the heart.

Our editors love bringing attention to user posts and perhaps you've seen your own post shining brightly in our top featured area. Well, our user recognition isn't going to stop there because starting today, I want to bring you the top user posts that have captured the most number of readers every week.

Before we congratulate these top users, you need to know that breaking into this list is no small feat! These posts are vying for attention with hundreds and hundreds of other user posts every day. Just knowing that should prove their material is good!

If you want to join this exclusive club, the secret is getting

Never before, in the history of Shine, have I seen a subject create such prolonged heated discussion as the GOP vice presidential nomination of Sarah Palin!

While I've been fascinated with the intelligent and respectful levels of discussion taking place, I was taken aback to come across comments accusing Shine of being a biased site. One Shine user commented, "I'm getting a little sick of SHINE'S narrow minded views on Palin. If you can't say anything nice......I guess we know how the SHINE writers feel about her."

For the record, the editors really try hard NOT to have a bias. It's true they are raising questions women have about Sarah Palin but they don't want users getting the wrong impression that these questions signal a favor, one way or another.

Remember, we have all differing opinions on Shine. We have posts written by Shine editors, partners from top women magazines, and users like you. We're working to make it clearer who is writing the post, and I'll update

Have you ever used a company's web site and wished that you could provide your feedback on why you like or didn't like the site so that you could possibly have an impact on the future design of the site? If yes, then here is your chance to do so for Shine. We are looking for member of the Shine community, just like you, to help us evaluate the site. If you are interested in participating in this online research study then just click on the link below and complete a brief survey. If you are selected to participate in a study, you will be compensated monetarily for your time and valuable feedback.

Click here to access the survey

Thanks!

Categories can be deceiving! If you didn't have a chance to look around Shine before you posted your blog, you might have thought that our "At Home" category was for stories that revolved around home life. We didn't mean to mislead you, but our "At Home" category is actually for blog posts on home decorating and home renovating.

This is why we created your "Only My Blog" page. Your "Only My Blog" page is the ideal place to post stories and photos about your personal life. Everyone will still be able to see and comment on your post, and it will help keep our "At Home" category for what it was intended for - related home topics such as:

Home Decorating
Gardening
Entertaining
Home Renovating
Architecture
Home Organizing
Do-it-yourself Home Projects

So have fun, keep those insighful blogs coming, and remember that "At Home" stands for home projects. ;) Thanks!

Were you one of the first fifty Shine users to leave a comment for the Kung Fu Panda party kit giveaway? If so, we've been trying to get in touch with you! Instructions are in your email box on where to send your name and mailing information so we can send your party kit. :)

If you don't see instructions in your in box, then send me an email and include:

* Your Yahoo! ID - This is the Yahoo! ID you use when you sign into Shine. This won't be your Shine nickname or the name that appears when you blog,

* Your mailing address

Once we confirm your Yahoo ID matches one of the first fifty Yahoo IDs on the Kung Fu Panda Kit givewaway, we'll be able to send your awesome kit. Thanks!

"How do I write for Shine" is probably the most frequently asked question we see on our suggestion boards. The answer is anybody can write for Shine. Shine is a place for conversation and we want you to be a part of it.

If you're at all intimidated about writing a blog for the first time, remember that even experienced bloggers started where you are and probably felt the same way. Everyone on Shine is here to share, so consider blogging about a personal story, some useful tips that made your life easier, or ask for feedback from the Shine community on something that's been on your mind.

Whatever the case, we've made it easy to blog. Just click on the Blog link under your name and then click the "Write a New Post" link. You'll see that our post creation page is super user-friendly and if you still need some blogging help, just click here.

We've also posted Community Guidelines to keep Shine a fun and safe place, so please make yourself acquainted with them too. :)

Have fun blogging!

Hey Shine ladies!

Askmen.com, the leading men's lifestyle website, wants to hear from you! They've partnered with Shine to create The Great Female Survey to find out who and what is "the modern woman".
Erin, our savvy Love + Sex editor, says it's quite the honor that Askmen.com selected Shine, so let's not disappoint. The survey, the female equivalent of their Great Male Survey, takes only 5 minutes to complete and asks those dating & sexuality questions we all want to know but are afraid to ask!

The Great Female Survey will only be available for a few weeks so get your surveys done now! The results will be published at the end of July, so check back then for all the juicy details.

As Shine enters it's 8th week since launch, I've been thrilled to see how you've responded to our editor's call for well-written posts. You've really turned up the quality dial while writing about things that matter to you - informative and insightful subjects that inspire all of us to write our best.

Here are a few of those featured posts on Shine:

Sexual harassment in school - what's the long-term impact on education and career? by Shine user Micki LeSeur

Why are commitment issues so debilitating? by Shine user Rita


Comparing nutrition: Cow milk vs. non-dairy milks by Shine user Stephanie Quilao

Shine wants to feature more user posts, but some are being overlooked because they've been miscategorized. To help give your post the most exposure it might be moved to a more relevant category. The post will still be on Shine and on your blog page, but it will now be up for feature consideration. That means more visibility, more feedback, and more conversation!

Congratulations to everyone